


Thedas Online: LFG

by comavampure, Spellweaver



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Modern Boy in Thedas, Modern Character in Thedas, Modern Girl in Thedas, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 07:20:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7792072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/comavampure/pseuds/comavampure, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spellweaver/pseuds/Spellweaver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a not so distant future Bioware makes Dragon Age: Thedas Online the MMORPG in VR. Players can create their own avatar that is one of many in the army forged by the Inquisition to stop Fen'harel.  Only on day one hundreds of people hooked to the game disappear from Earth.  They wake up in Thedas as the avatar they created in 9:41 Dragon. This is the story of small group of players who landed in Haven. </p><p>The first Installment of the Thedas Online Saga and Collection!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thedas Online: LFG

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a friendly roleplay some of us have started in the Modern Character in Thedas community.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ScoutingAsstes is a Dragon Age N00b. reachXandFlexX is a veteran player. The two are first to meet.

Jim had never played Dragon Age before. He was completely unfamiliar with most of its lore and game mechanics except of course Cullen. It’s really the only reason why he even knew about the game. The noodle head had become a bit of an internet sensation and well Jim had a slight internet crush on what the fans called “Lion of Skyhold.” Jim sighed as he waited for the loading screen to pass.

His friends had clued him into the game once that passed and while he would have gone back to play Inquisition, he just couldn’t handle the controls and the fact he’d have to downgrade to a non VR console, which was a bummer. He almost wished Bioware would one day remaster it and make it compatible for VR. However when he heard about the upcoming MMORPG for the next installment of the game, he signed right up and well here he was on Launch Day! It was so much more immersive once it was past the login and tutorial, and he was truly impressed.

“Wow! I can even feel the cold breeze and the weight of my armor!” He smiled as he trudged, with some difficulty, through the snow and onto a path. A town wasn’t far off, as indicated on his map on the Heads up Display that overlayed over everything he saw. Indicators, and menus abound that with a flick of his hand in the air he could open. As he walked it revealed more and more of the map on his HUD and even resource locations. There was a resource nodule due west of him and several due southeast of him. Of course the map didn’t tell you exactly where each nodule was but just the general location until you did find it.

Drawing closer, his HUD beeped in his ear and detected another player just ahead of him. They were Level 3 and reaching down and picking up a strange curling plant out of the ground. And sticking it into the bag they had on their back. Their username was _reachXandFlexX_ , but their character name was “Bob the Burglar,” a fellow rogue.

“Hello!” he called to them. “What’s that you’re picking up?”

Bob was a veteran Dragon Age player but he knew there was something up with how detailed this immersion was. He’d never seen this kind of tech to literally put you in the game. He was only worried that if he has to piss in game, he might be pissing all over himself in his chair. Either way once the tutorial dropped him in Haven of all places he got to work. He’d heard of the new Herbalist Profession that you could potentially level up with. He wanted to be the first Dragon Age player to hit level 100. But the fastest way to do it was to do something inane and get achievements, so he had a lot of Elfroot to pick.

He found the first cluster fairly easily and then of course a wild nug appeared. He hadn’t been deterred. But it was when someone came up on him that he turned. His HUD displaying their details. _What a peasant, still level 0._ He mentally scoffed.

“It’s elfroot. Don’t you know anything?” he gruffed to player _ScoutingAssets._

“Oh that’s elfroot! I didn’t know what they’d look like!” Jim moved forward to another plant along a wall made of arranged stones and log post fence beyond that. The plant looked fragile and was growing right out of the snow. He plucked it.

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _ScoutingAssets_ earned 10 exp >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _ScoutingAssets_ leveled up >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _ScoutingAssets_ earned 1 ability point. >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _ScoutingAssets_ unlocked Codex: Elfroot. >

Jim eyed the messages scrolling up in the chat panel of his HUD telling him he had earned _10 exp_ for simply picking plants. “I leveled up!” He exclaimed and eyed Bob. “What do I do with it?”

Bob sighed and trudged off, wanting to continue on his quest to find all the elfroot nodules. Though that one Jim just plucked from, he’ll have to revisit before he logs off. Hopefully the respawn rate for nodules was quick or else he’ll never get to level 10 by the end of this session. “Put it in your inventory! I don’t care!”

He was really hoping to get on with his quest. Get the elfroot and get to the level cap for this area before he had to move along to the next area. He turned up the path to head into town when the breach crackled above them. The green iridescent light covered everything and expanded. The lightning from it was loud and it’s twirling vortex sent a burst of green light. _Was this a scripted event?_ Bob watched the projectile in the too detailed sky come barrelling down toward them.

<QUICKTIME EVENT:   _reachXandFlexX_ joined!>

<QUICKTIME EVENT:  Minor Fade Tear. Level 3. Reward: 30 coin. >

Bob wondered if he could opt out of QTEs and go passive mode as he pulled his bow front and center and cocked an arrow.

Jim did as Bob had said and pulled the bag at his back and opened it. He couldn’t actually see the bottom of the bag, it just seemed to be an endless black that had no end. He stuffed the elfroot in there and the elfroot disappeared into the abyss as his HUD displayed a transparent 60 slot inventory with unlockable tabs and a weight counter on the side. There was a question mark by the counter. He clicked on it with his finger.

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: Tutorial Opening…>

A smooth voice spoke to Jim.

“Encumbrance counter lets you know what is the maximum weight you can carry before you are slowed. With higher levels and specing into attributes Endurance, Strength, and Agility will affect the max weight you can carry on you. Coin does not detract from your counter.”

“Ooh. that was really helpful.” Jim said but he was alone.

He looked around the area and headed down the path into town toward someplace called Haven when a green burst of something slammed into the ground behind him, where he had just been standing. He went sprawling, pain pricked at the back of his head. Again he was amazed at the immersion and transference of data.  It almost felt like he was actually in pain.

“Tear!” Bob called and pulled his bow out as the tear formed just enough to release a wraith. He was really hoping Bioware hadn’t just remade Inquisition into a multiplayer game. That would be boring. Either way, he followed the instructions on the HUD that showed him the forms to go through, pulled one of _five_ arrows out of his sling, not quiver, and took aim and - He missed. “Fuck.”

Jim felt a claw at his back, or like something was clawing at him. The pain was so real it felt… it felt.

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _ScoutingAssets_ took 2 damage points. >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _ScoutingAssets_ took 1 damage points. >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _ScoutingAssets_ took 3 damage points. >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _ScoutingAssets_ took 1 damage points. >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _ScoutingAssets_ took 2 damage points. >

“AHHH” Too real! He wanted to disconnect and go buy a game guide. Instead he scrambled forward and turned to see a wispy purple like creature swipe at him. “What do I do?!”

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: Combat Tutorial Initiating...>

“Really? It couldn’t have begun before?! What the frick kind of game is this?!” Jim screeched as he put distance between the - what even was it? He eyed the Status Bar on his HUD where it read Level 3: _Wraith_. He was already underleveled for the area. “Goddamnit.” He fumbled for his daggers that were the size of his arms and followed the motions the tutorial overlayed on his HUD.

His feet were shoulder length apart, daggers angled back and he was meant to run _toward_ the Wraith, side step and then stab backwards. _How… How am I supposed to do that and not run away screaming? This was too realistic! But soooo cool._ He grinned and took his first step forward. By some miracle or magic of game design his body propelled and side stepped around the Wraith, hands plunging the daggers back and they met purchase, sinking into a gooey purple mess. He pulled his daggers forward and turned to eye the back of the wraith as an arrow knocked into it’s head.

 

“Yes fucking _finally_ !” Bob yelled as his _fourth_ arrow finally hit it’s mark. He wondered if he had forgot to turn on Auto-aim, if so he was about to be really pissed but he picked up the arrows he had wasted on his way toward the Wraith and the noob player.

The wraith shrieked and flailed trying to pull the arrow out.

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _reachXandFlexX_ earned 25 exp... >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _reachXandFlexX_ leveled up! >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _reachXandFlexX_ earned 1 ability point!  >

Bob ignored the system messages but some part of him understood he was now stronger. He bat the wraith away from the noob player in an attack that wasn’t supposed to be scripted yet the wraith was smacked away and went flying into the snow, its body disintegrating into fade energy toward the rift.

“Huh… didn’t think that’d work.”

“Woah! That was so cool!” Jim praised his fellow player while sheathing his daggers. “You’ve got to teach me that!  Can I tag along with you? What skill tree did you spec into?” Jim peppered Bob with questions.

Bob rolled his eyes but stooped to the clumpy remains of the wraith.  His HUD examined the mess, logging it as Wraith Essence, telling him what potions and upgrades it could be used for. And then, he grabbed it with his bare hand, intending on sticking it in his bag.

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _reachXandFlexX_ took 2 damage points. >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _reachXandFlexX_ took 2 damage points. >

<SYSTEM MESSAGE: _reachXandFlexX_ took 2 damage points. >

Bob yelped and snatched his hand back and shook the demon essence off his hand. It burned like he’d stuck it on too hot fire. “Fuck… how am I even supposed to pick it up then?” He groaned and clicked on the tutorial.  He didn’t remember this part of the Beta.

“Woah, hey are you okay?” Jim asked, eying the player’s hand as it blistered and popped.  ‘That looked like it hurt.”

“No fucking shit it hurt. Damn, Bioware really upped their game.” Bob growled and shook his head.  There was just something too real about all of this. He reached into his bag and selected the poultice  bottles.  He hadn’t expected to be in combat so soon and hadn’t yet slotted the two potions and two poultices he had been given in the tutorial to be on his hotbar, or well his belt. One the poultice was selected they appeared in the bag and he grabbed it and slathered a small helping onto the palm of his hand.

What was supposed to happen was that he would have healed immediately but instead his skin still appeared bubbled and blistered.  it didn't hurt as much but it was supposed to have healed in an instant.  Something was wrong.


End file.
